Senior Staff Product Manager (R4198)

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.

Shield AI is redefining defense technology by delivering mission autonomy solutions that provide next generation man‑unmanned teams. We design, develop, and deploy cutting‑edge software solutions that leverage robotics, AI‑driven autonomy, and mature software foundations to support mission‑critical operations.

As the Hivemind Solutions Product Manager for Europe, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategy, execution, and commercialization of our mission autonomy solutions. You will inform the entire product lifecycle—from concept to deployment—ensuring our solutions meet mission needs, enhance operational efficiency, and align with strategic business objectives. You will lead efforts to identify and address the most critical autonomy needs for Shield AI and its customers in Europe. Collaborating with a cross‑functional team—business development, program managers, engineers, and executives—you’ll help define what we build, when, and for whom. This high‑impact role requires deep expertise in the testing, development, procurement, and operational use of weapon and collection systems – including related autonomy and robotics products – across a wide variety of applications: strike, communications relay, ISR, and air‑to‑surface platform integration.

What you'll do:

• Product Strategy & Roadmap Development: Define and execute product strategies and roadmaps aligned with business objectives and customer needs. Conduct business case analyses to guide investment decisions. Develop product feature requirements and pricing models based on market events, customer feedback, and competitive intelligence. Create and maintain product documentation and specifications, serving as a guide for business and technical teams to build, deliver and market the capability.
• Customer Engagement: Leverage operational experience to translate mission needs into technical requirements and user‑centric solutions. Partner with field support personnel to gather product feedback and develop product feature requirements that drive continuous refinement. Serve as the primary advocate for Hivemind Solutions in Europe, acting as the bridge between development teams, operators, program managers, and stakeholders. Engage with government sponsors and B2B partners to gather insights and validate product direction.
• Engineering & Cross-Functional Execution: Establish clear product goals, key success metrics, and performance metrics and measure progress continuously. Partner with Chief Engineers and Technical Program Managers to ensure product designs meet customer timelines and business requirements. Communicate strategy and goals to internal and external stakeholders to drive support.
• Financial & Cost Management: Work closely with Finance and Business Leadership to set and achieve product financial targets. Lead margin optimization efforts including design improvements, make vs buy decisions, and new technology introductions.
• Market & Technology Awareness: Stay current on political and business trends within Europe. Monitor defense industry innovations and emerging technologies related to launched effects, autonomy, and robotics to forecast future needs, identify opportunities to integrate new technologies and to improve product performance. Partner with Business Development leads to develop feature requirements and pricing models based on market events, customer feedback, and competitive intelligence.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Advocacy: Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including senior military leaders, program managers, and technical experts. Represent the product during technical exchanges, capability demonstrations, and stakeholder briefings. Support business development by articulating product value, mission relevance, and technical differentiation.

Required qualifications:

• Familiarity with development methodologies for integrated hardware/software products
• 3+ years of experience in defense technology, autonomy, or related domains.
• Proven experience achieving high-stakes outcomes within DoD or IC environments.
• Proven ability to lead product strategy and development from concept to deployment.
• Experience with defense or government stakeholders, ideally within mission‑critical roles.
• 5+ years relevant military experience or operational expertise.
• Strong communication skills—able to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering, science, or a related technical field.

Preferred qualifications:

• Active TS with SCI eligibility clearance.
• Advanced degree in a relevant technical or business field (MBA, Systems Engineering).
• Familiarity with real‑time processing and sensor integration on autonomous systems or UAS payloads.
• Experience in cross‑functional leadership within defense technology development.

£120,000 - £180,000 a year. Our international team members are employed through our Employer of Record (EOR) and receive a comprehensive international benefits package on top of base salary. For full details on compensation and benefits, please consult your talent acquisition partner.